Another Way Out
by mintycannibal13
Summary: Another young woman from the FBI is sent by Crawford in the place of Clarice Starling to speak with Dr. Hannibal Lecter, also known as Hannibal the Cannibal. Crawford warned her about Lecter, but when she becomes interested in the cannibal's past, will an
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Another young woman from the FBI is sent by Crawford in the place of Clarice Starling to speak with Dr. Hannibal Lecter, also known as Hannibal the Cannibal. Crawford warned her about Lecter, but when she becomes interested in the cannibal's past, will anyone be able to stop her from discovering the truth? What happens when she becomes more interested in the man then the facts?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any part of Silence of the Lambs and if I did, Hannibal Lecter would live in my closet. I only own my original character. All the credit goes to the brilliant mind of Thomas Harris.

The echo of footsteps could be heard clearly even at the far end of the corridor, where Dr. Hannibal Lecter's cell was located, at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. The footsteps weren't the ones of the orderlies, but instead a young woman and Dr. Frederick Chilton, administrator of the hospital. The young woman was about half a head shorter then Chilton with long curly and wavy brown hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail. Her unusual violet eyes were outlined with black eyeliner and she wore black dress pants that barely brushed the stone floor under her black boots. She also wore a maroon tank-top under a black dress jacket. Around her neck hung an ancient gold Greek coin on a black cord and her pale skin was paler under the sharp lights of the basement holding area. She followed behind Chilton as they walked down the stairs towards the holding cells, her sense of smell dulled by the cheap cologne that Chilton wore, and a slight frown formed on her face. He had shown her the picture of the nurse Lecter had attacked, watching her face to see if she would flinch or turn her eyes away, and he seemed disappointed when she merely frowned slightly and didn't flinch. The bars opened as she stepped through the doorway, leaving Chilton behind her, and one of the orderlies smiled kindly at her. He was colored and tall, strong-built. She smiled back and the bars shut behind her as Chilton walked back up the stairs to his office.

"Hello, I'm Barney. You can leave whatever you need to here. Did Dr.Chilton go over the rules with you?" the orderly said and she nodded, hanging her coat on one of the hooks.

"Yes, he did. I'm Alice Blaire." she said, her voice soft and Barney nodded, pressing the button to open the door that lead to the hallway of holding cells. "Farthest cell on the right. Remember not to touch the bars or get too close. There's a chair waiting for you. Remember to stay in the middle of the hallway."

Alice nodded and started to walk down the hallway, ignoring the stares of the inmates and the hissed remarks they made. One of the inmates a cell down from Lecter hissed "I can smell your cunt" at her and she ignored him, stopping in front of Lecter's cell. Her eyes scanned over his cell, pausing on the drawings on his walls for a moment, and her eyes continued on to his books and finally landed on the man himself. Hannibal Lector sat reclined on his bed, reading the Italian version of _Vogue_, and she noticed he had six fingers on his left hand.

"Doctor Hannibal Lecter? May I speak to you?" she asked and he set the loose pages on the bed, his maroon eyes looking up at her.

They drilled into her violet ones and she held his stare, clenching her jaw slightly. He stood, his eyes never leaving hers, and he gave her a small smile. "You were sent by Jack Crawford, weren't you?" he asked, his voice sounding a bit metallic underneath the culture of his voice from the lack of use, and Alice nodded, holding up her ID. "Closer."

She stepped closer to his cell and he looked at her ID. "An actual agent. Interesting." he said, slightly amused and he looked back up at her.

"Yes, I'm a Special Agent. I'm new to the force, but an actual agent as you put it. I'm sure you were expecting a rookie."

Lecter's smile widened slightly at Alice's boldness and he waved a hand towards the folding chair behind her. "Please, have a seat, Agent Blaire. What is that Crawford has sent you to talk to me about?" he asked as Alice sat down, setting her briefcase next to her.

"He sent me here to ask you a few questions, Dr. Lecter."

"Concerning the one they call Buffalo Bill? Interesting. Tell me, Agent Blaire, why would Crawford send _you_ to talk to me?"

"Because I'm qualified, Dr. Lecter."

"Qualified to do what, Agent Blaire? Talk to me? Try to..._wiggle_ information out of me?"

Alice frowned slightly and she shook her head. "No, Dr. Lecter. I am merely here on a routine evaluation to compile psychopath profiles for the FBI." she stated simply, trying to keep her voice calm and Lecter chuckled slightly at her.

"Psychopath profiles? Very nice, Agent Blaire. Now tell me why you're really here."

Alice nearly ground her teeth to control her temper. This man was impossible! She began to understand why Crawford had meant when they couldn't get anyone else to evaluate Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He was annoying in a well cultured and brilliant sort of way, but he was demeaning to the point where Alice was ready to leave and chew Crawford out for sending her in without proper information. Talk about throwing the unarmed into the lion's den. At this point she'd rather deal with Chilton. She had barely been with Lecter for five minutes and already he was wearing her patience down. This was going to be a long interview.

"I'm here to ask you a few questions concerning the pathological profile of Buffalo Bill." she said calmly, her temper finally under full control.

"Tell me one thing, Agent Blaire. Why do they call our boy 'Buffalo Bill'?" Lecter asked, watching her closely and he could smell her lavender and musk scent through the small circular openings at the top of the glass that made up the front of his cell instead of bars.

"It was a bad joke among the police in Kansas City homicide. Said he skins his humps. Can we please continue, Dr. Lecter?"

Lecter nodded and sat in the chair that was bolted to the floor next to the table. "Please continue, Agent Blaire. I'm sure this will be a most interesting interview." He gave her a small smile, his teeth small and white.

_I'm sure it will be._, Alice thought and she took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally. She opened her briefcase and pulled out a thick file, laying it on her lap. "I would like to begin by asking you a few questions, Doctor."

The next chapter will be longer, so I apologize for this one being so short. Thank you and have a lovely day.


	2. Author's Note

I'm sorry for the terribly late update, but there is going to a next chapter coming up! I'm currently working on it and it's coming along just perfectly. I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter and don't worry, there will be more in the furture! Thank you again for your patience and support.

bleedingsoftly13


	3. Chapter 2

The interview was a slow process and almost painful for Alice. Lecter was using every method to throw her off or to anger or distract her and she threw everything she knew about criminal psychology back at him.

"It would seem that we both have something in common, Agent Blaire." he said as Alice wrote something down and she looked up at him, her cool, calm gaze connecting with his soul-searing maroon gaze.

"What would that be, Dr. Lecter?" she asked, her voice controlled and a small smile graced his face.

"We have both seen into the criminal mind. Tell me, Agent Blaire, are you familiar in the ways of criminal psychology or perhaps, psychiatry?"

"Yes. They were my majors in college and that's what I do for a living, Dr. Lecter."

"Ah, so we are very much alike, Agent Blaire."

"Except I haven't killed anyone, Dr. Lecter."

"Very true, _Dr._ Blaire."

Alice frowned slightly and she fixed her black dress jacket, feeling her empty shoulder gun houlster pressing against her side. Lecter watched her closely and his smile widened slightly.

"Your gun houlster is like a security blanket to you, Dr. Blaire. Even when it's empty you keep it on. Is it a reminder of the difference between you and other criminal psychologists?" he said, his voice smooth and held no underlining tone other than teasing. It was if he were a child poking fun at someone just to see their reaction.

"I keep it on because I don't see the need to have to take it off constantly. It's a bother." she shot back, quickly defending herself and Lecter took silent joy in the fact that he could push her buttons so easily.

"It's not a bother, Dr. Blaire. You just wish to hide something. Tell me, do you have scars that are from horrid childhood experiences or did your father hit you?"

"No, my father never hit me, Dr. Lecter. Tell me this, why do you hide yourself whenever someone from the FBI comes to talk to you about criminal profiling? Are you hiding something in your own life that you don't want others to see? Maybe a weakness that could destroy this carefully constructed dangerous reputation you have about yourself? Try pointing your perseption somewhere else, Dr. Lecter. I don't fall when I'm pushed."

Lecter's smile never disappeared or faded and Alice's unusual violet eyes connected with Lecter's equally unusual maroon eyes, both their gazes steady. It was a battle between the minds as they kept staring at each other and neither were willing to be the first one to look away. Neither wanted to be the one to be reticuled for being weak or frightened by what they saw in the other's eyes.

"Do you go to anger management, Dr. Blaire?" Lecter asked softly and Alice frowned, not liking where this line of questioning was headed. "You seem to lose your temper very easily, but you also use masking mechanisms to try to cover your anger."

"This..._interview_, for the lack of a better term, would go a lot faster and smoother if you'd quick avoiding the questions, Dr. Lecter." Alice nearly growled and she mentally scolded herself for letting her anger show as she noticed the subtle smirk Lecter gave her.

"I'm not avoiding anything, Dr. Blaire. I am merely trying to assess you and your line of questioning. No avoiding."

_And I'm the Queen of England._, Alice thought as she mentally rolled her eyes and her lips became a thin line. _I should shoot Crawford for this. Lecter knows just what buttons to push, no matter if you've just met him or you've known him for years. Knows how to get under your skin._ She wasn't going to answer Lecter's question about her anger management, even though it was true and he probably had already figured that out. Her anger was what got her into this mess in the first place.

Crawford had called her into his office after she had returned from helping out local state police in Washington state with a murder investigation that turned out to be a simple suicide and he appeared older than she had remembered. _"Take a few days to cool off, Blaire. I need you to stop being a federal agent for a bit. I need you to interview someone."_ She remembered Crawford saying when she protested to interviewing criminals, but when he told her it was Dr. Hannibal Lecter she was going to be interviewing, she remembered how red her face got. The damn cannibal was getting the better of her and he had twenty years on her. Loosing her temper at the age of thirty-two with a criminal left her with a sick feeling of self-pity and the mental inkling that maybe she should take early retirement before she gave herself an ulser.

"Something wrong, Dr. Blaire? Or are you merely trying to control your anger with useless and demeaning techniques?" Lecter's voice cut through Alice's thoughts and she nearly kicked herself for letting her thoughts run wild.

When she focused back on him, she noticed that his expression was completely blank, not like the teasing one he had throughout the interview, and he looked like he was almost worried about her. _Probably worried I'm going to kick the bucket or leave before he can finish dissecting my brain._, she thought and she exhaled softly, steadying her blood pressure.

"I'm fine, Dr. Lecter. Thank you for your concern." she said, trying to make her voice sound as honest and thankful as possible and his maroon eyes gleamed. "Now, about this questionnaire."

"No. No, Dr. Blaire. We were having a fine conversation before you decided to become a federal agent again instead of an intelligent doctor of the human mind."

"I'm not here to let you pick my brain for your own enjoyment, Dr. Lecter. I was sent here to conduct this interview and to give you this questionnaire. Take it or leave it, I don't really care."

Something changed in Lecter's eyes as he continued to stare at her. Like he decided that he didn't feel like continuing the interview and Alice couldn't force him to continue. "You know, _Agent_ Blaire, you remind me of someone. Will Graham. How is he doing? I heard that he was looking at the world with a new..._perspective._ You come here, dressed up in a suit that seems to be too good for you, with your little questionnaire, thinking that just because you have an insight into a criminal's mind that you can dissect all criminals or psychopaths. Do you spend your free time trying to cover up that Brooklyn accent, Agent Blaire? Trying to show people that you're not all about street smarts and that you can actually read a book without getting a headache." he said, keeping his voice purposely blank and demeaning at the sametime and Alice could feel her anger flaring again.

This man had no right to pass judgement on her that quickly. No right at all, but then again, she really didn't have the right to pass judgement on him just because he was locked up. Alice kept her face blank of all expression and she tucked the questionnaires back into their folder, folding her hands over it.

"Very well, Dr. Lecter. Have it your way. You're right. I do try to prove that I have more than street smarts to help me, but I don't think that just because I have an insight into the criminal mind that I can dissect all criminals or psychopaths. I'll leave that to you, Dr. Lecter. I'm sure you'll have plently of time." she said coolly and she stood up. "Good day, Dr. Lecter." _I hope you rot in hell._

Alice began walking back towards Barney, who was waiting on the other side of the steel-bar door for her, and she ignored Miggs' muttering. She had just narrowly escaped being splattered with what seemed to be semen from Miggs and she could hear Lecter calling after her.

"Dr. Blaire." he called and Alice stopped walking. Something in his voice stopped her. She found it suddenly hard to breath. "Dr. Blaire."

She exhaled softly and quickly walked back to Lecter's cell, narrowing her eyes at him. "Yes, Dr. Lecter?" she quickly asked and there was a new gleam in his eyes. Anger? Disgust?

"Rudeness such as that is digusting to me, Dr. Blaire." he said, his voice hoarse and she flushed.

"Then make it up to me, Dr. Lecter. Be the gentleman you are." A new gleam.

Sudden calmness came over Lecter. Maybe she was too late to get him to do what she wanted. "I will not do the questionnaire."

"Dr. Lecter-"

He held up his left hand to silence her. Two middle fingers, matching perfectly. "I will make you happy. Glad that you came, Dr. Blaire. Look in Raspail's car for your answers. Got that, Dr. Blaire? _Raspail's car._ You have time to go before Miggs can manage again, even though he is crazy."

Alice nodded, making a mental note to remember this little detail, and she quickly walked away from Lecter's cell and out of the hospital.


End file.
